Paris Olympics begins with ambitious, sprawling opening ceremony on the River Seine

Paris Olympics begins with ambitious, sprawling opening ceremony on the River Seine. Opening ceremonies at the 2024 Paris Olympics feature performances by Lady Gaga, parades, and other events. The ceremony was held a few hours after possible train-targeting sabotage incidents.

PARIS (AP) — With a rule-breaking opening ceremony full of stars and fantasy, Paris, known for being the birthplace of revolution, celebrated its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday. The event demonstrated the city’s resiliency as authorities dealt with suspected acts of sabotage that targeted France’s high-speed rail network.

The mood before the ceremony had been soured by widespread travel difficulties brought on by what French officials claimed were coordinated arson assaults on high-speed rail lines and by Paris rains.

However, when viewers across the world tuned in, Paris put on its best foot forward, literally, starting out with exuberant French cancan dancers. Spirits were raised by the stunning opening of the play at 7:30 p.m.

Soccer legend Zinedine Zidane appeared in a lighthearted short film. French blue, white, and red smoke plumes appeared next. To provide a cabaret vibe to the opening of what is anticipated to be a spectacle lasting over three hours, Lady Gaga sang in French while dancers shook pink pompoms.

Packed spectators on balconies along the Seine “oohed” and “aahed” as Olympic teams started to parade down the river in boats.

Along the Seine River, Paris was enacting a ceremony that transformed the city’s famous landmarks into performance spaces for singers, dancers, and other performers.

Organizers had to manage larger crowds to transport, manage, and secure during the expansive ceremony compared to past Olympic host cities that began with stadium performances.

However, as soon as the exhibition started, there was a surge in confidence that Paris, living up to its motto of “being unsinkable,” would just see its risks pay off.

The thousands of Olympians and the hundreds of thousands of fans that packed the banks and bridges of the Seine—many times more than could have fit into France’s national stadium—may find the ceremony more taxing due to the rain.

Before they begin the next 16 days of competition, 6,800 of the 10,500 participants, according to the Paris organizers, will be present.

The 6-kilometer (almost 4-mile) parade route began at Austerlitz Bridge, where the boats carrying the Olympic teams broke through water curtains to begin the procession. The sparkling waters were a playful nod to the magnificent fountains at Versailles Palace, which is currently home to the Olympic equestrian events.

Athletes from Greece, the origin of the ancient Games, were on the first boat, following Olympic practice. The Olympic refugee athletes squad came next, and the other countries in French alphabetical order came after that.

The athletes usually parade during a break in the razzmatazz during the Olympic opening ceremony. However, Paris broke with this custom by combining athletics and artistic expression with the parade and spectacle at the same time.

Some attendees became irate about lengthy queues to get to their seats along the ceremony route, despite the organizers’ suggestion to arrive well in advance.

Tony Gawne, a 54-year-old Texan who arrived six hours early with his wife, said, “Paris has been great, anything to do with the Olympics and dissemination of information has been horrible.”

It’s a little annoying to spend $6,000 on two tickets, to be honest.

The Olympic archery backdrop, the golden-domed tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Eiffel Tower, which provided the iron pieces inlaid in the gold, silver, and bronze medals. In the 329 medal events in 32 sports, they will be won.

IOC President Thomas Bach and Macron presided over the ceremony, which was guarded by up to 45,000 police, gendarmes, and soldiers.

“To show to the whole world and to all of the French that in this country, we’re capable of exceptional things,” stated Estanguet, is Paris’s mission.

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